President Obama has already adopted or expanded many of the most controversial Bush policies on executive privilege, detainee treatment, termination of privacy lawsuit, and other matters. Now, he has adopted the identical position of Vice President Dick Cheney in seeking to withhold visitor logs to the White House.
While the Bush/Cheney fight to withhold the logs was denounced by liberals, there is relative quiet again over Obama’s position on the very same issue.
The Secret Service has denied msnbc.com’s request for the names of all White House visitors from Jan. 20 to the present as well as a request by the nonpartisan watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
There is again a sharp difference between President Obama’s rhetoric of transparency and civil liberties in government and his actual policies, here and here and here and here and here .
For the full story, click here.
BVM,
You have twice avoided my questions regarding your sources’ CVs. Credentials afford a certain amount of—although certainly not complete—credibility to what you suggest.
Any fact is relevant that will help get Obama the murderous, treasonous, pathological liar and his conspirators out of the White House / Congress and into prison where they belong.
What a complete bunch of navel-gazing horse-pucky the whole birther dispute is for 2 reasons: #1, our last President was appointed- APPOINTED- to office by the most craven and partisan Courts in history and #2, see #1, we’re way beyond honest credentials mattering anymore as a matter of precedent. The late coming concern by the wing-nuts is as irrelevant as it is hypocritical. What a waste of time.
Just say’n.
For those who care to read Mr. Polarik’s (not sure that he is a Ph.D. “Doctor”) detailed report with many images of the birth certificate.
________________________________
{Quote:
“Polarik’s final report: Obama’s ‘Born’ Conspiracy
Forged images, phony photos, and felony fraud
By Ron Polarik, PhD”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2136816/posts
End Quote}
________________________________
Actually, from what Vince T. has conveyed, BVM and ohters’ points are moot.
——-
BVM: Since credentials matter, can you confirm that Mr. Polarik is a Ph.D. and in what academic specialty? You tout the “doctors and lawyers” who support you points, but their curricula vitae are somewhat difficult to confirm.
Vince,
You’ve staked out some prime avatar territory there. Nice job. All the way around too, not just the avatar.
Actually, I suspect that some of the birther are sure that the face on Mars is the key to this issue, and that intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic have taken control of our society and their minds.
Live long and prosper.
Everything in this letter is wrong. The Certification of Live Birth was validly issued by Hawaii. It is prima facie evidence of the fact of birth. Hawaiian officials have verified that it accurately reflects their records. When Hawaii issues a certificate for foreign born children, the certificate shows the foreign country where they were born. Politicheck.org, factcheck.org, and Snopes.com have exposed this stuff.
BVM, whoever he, she, it, or they may be, can’t even write its own stuff. It should take these tired lies somewhere else. A link on their own site admits that the underlying Hawaii records show that Obama was born in Hawaii.
So they have admitted that no birth certificate or evidence will ever satisfy them. Here is the source, reposted for those who have just tuned in:
“Nonetheless, there is little doubt that President Obama’s original Hawaiian birth certificate says he was born in Hawaii. Under the laws that were in effect in Hawaii when Barack Obama was born, the State of Hawaii would not have knowingly issued a Hawaiian birth certificate to anyone born outside of Hawaii. …
“In 1961, the State of Hawaii would not have issued a birth certificate to Barack Obama unless the State believed he was born in Hawaii. Barack Obama’s original 1961 typewritten birth certificate undoubtedly says he was born in Hawaii.
“But questions still remain. When Barack Obama was born, was his birth attended by a doctor or midwife? If not, who testified regarding his birth? His mother? His grandmother? Were any of these people interviewed? Was there a judicial or administrative hearing to determine the birth certificate’s probative value? Who recorded the date and time of Barack Obama’s birth? Could his actual date of birth have been a week or two earlier? “ Source: http://people.mags.net/tonchen/birthers.htm#ref20
Focus on the key words: there is little doubt that President Obama’s original Hawaiian birth certificate says he was born in Hawaii. So what is all the agitation about?
Even if the original records were released to a press conference attended by Berg, non-lawyer Andy Martin, Orly, Leo Donofrio, Cort, Allan Keyes, swift-boater Corsi, and Elvis, with reporters from the Globe, Enquirer and the entire supermarket press corps, guess what? The have admitted that they would still not accept them. They will challenge them as forged. They will all move to Kenya.
It is hard to argue with a shopping mall.
Glenn Greenwald has this excerpt interview in his column today. It applies to this case:
“Law Professor Kevin Jon Heller recounts a conversation he had this week with a high British government official:
It’s difficult not to feel despair at the increasing banality of journalism in the US. A couple of days ago, I had the privilege of spending the evening with Lord Carlile of Berriew, who has served as the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation since 9/11. He has no binding authority, but he insisted that his power to “name and shame” gives him a great deal of actual influence over the content of antiterrorism legislation. And indeed, it seems clear that many of the UK’s imperfect antiterrorism laws would have been far less perfect but for his efforts.
I found Lord Carlile’s discussion of his “soft power” fascinating, so I asked him why he thinks the power to name-and-shame has almost no effect in the United States, where those who are named as the intellectual authors of repressive legislation feel no shame and suffer no consequences for their actions. He gave a very simple answer: journalists. I won’t repeat some of the words that he used to describe just how pathetic he considers US political journalism, but it’s clear that he believes it has completely abdicated its duty to — as Froomkin describes it — call bullshit on the government.
There are many reasons why establishment media discussions of our political conflicts are so incomplete, distorted, vapid and unsatisfying. But one significant reason is that one of the most important causes of our decayed political culture is a topic which is excluded almost completely from those discussions: namely, the central role the establishment media itself — with its uncritical and loyal subservience to political power — plays in enabling and protecting that decay.”
“If I were a Democrat, I’d call for an Impeachment in a New York minute”
FReeper Ron Polarik, Ph.D.
An Open Letter to Shephard Smith at FOX News — Saturday, June 20, 2009 5:44:05 PM · 99 of 113
We have no proof of where Obama was born. Anyone who claims that he was born in Hawaii is suffering from COLB Derangement Syndrome. Hawaii never confirmed that he was born in Hawaii, never confirmed that he has a Hawaiian long-form birth certificate or any other US birth certificate on file, or even if they have anything tangible beyond a computer record.
Most of all, Hawaii confirmed that they never released a copy of Obama’s COLB to anyone in June 2007.
Einstein could have called himself, “Humpty Dumpty,” and hid his face, but that would not change the fact that he discovered E= mc2. Likewise, Obama’s 2007 COLB would be just as nonexistent as if I had never discovered that it was nonexistent. But, it is a good thing that I did.
It’s positively amazing the amount of effort that people have expended in defense of this piece of crap COLB image that the Poseur-in-Chief now admits to posting online. There is only one reason why, after more than a year, that only one scan image of one side only has ever been made from what is alleged to be Obama’s 2007 COLB: it doesn’t exist. Obama’s 2007 COLB is a forged fake, fabricated in Photoshop, and nothing that anyone says or does can change that fact.
There is absolutely no reason, whatsoever, that the Obama Campaign would not make another, more detailed scan, including one of the reverse side of the COLB, and send that out to quiet critics. No reason, EXCEPT that the document does not exist in the real world. It only exists in the unreal, virtual world of Photoshopped fakes.
BTW, a digital photo is not the same thing as a scan image, and it most certainly cannot be used to validate a scan image. Certainly not when the document object is photographed at a steep angles from the capture device (which were intentional).
Remember that Factcheck.org did not take a digital photo of the reverse side (all that Factcheck photographed was only 1/4 of the entire back page, and only 2/3 of the Seal). Why was so little of the back page shown? Because what was photographed belonged to a different COLB!! Check it out for yourself: the Seal on the reverse side does not match the one on the front side. It is one of several, new discoveries I’ve made after revisitng the Factcheck photographs.
A year later after the bogus scan image was posted, THAT is exactly what people are still talking about. They are referring back to the original forged image on Fight the Smears and Factcheck. They are quoting Factcheck — the co-conspirator in this birth certficate scam — as having “verified” the bogus “scan image.”
Recall that Factcheck claimed they photographed the same object that the Obama Campaign scanned two months earlier.
They took these photos SOLELY IN DEFENSE of the scan image that they alleged to have “validated,” and to fend off the widespread criticism of the COLB as a forged image. However, they failed to “debunk” the critics. This was all part of an elaborate ruse to create the illusion that Obama had released his genuine, certified original birth certificate to the public.
What is hard to believe are the people in high places who actually believe that this document exists, but of those, here is a segment who also discount it as being proof of where Obama was actually born. COLBs are incredibly easy to get with little documentation required. And, yes, it is a well-documented fact that Hawaii was giving COLBs to foreign-born children.
But the bottom line is that the original “scan image” is what people are still talking about today, and it is an indisputable fact that Obama, or anyone else, does not have a genuine 2007 COLB document. What is posted online is as bogus as a four-dollar bill.
Obama ascended to the position of President by fraudulent means, including document fraud, Internet fraud, voter fraud, and campaign funding fraud, to name a few. The only question at hand now is whether he will be removed by invalidating his election, or by the articles of impeachment. If I were a Democratic Congressman, and I was going to be implicated in this fraud, I’d be calling for impeachment in a New York minute.
Whats all the hubub about, all politicians lie. Obama isnt special, he’s just a man like all the rest. Puts his pants on one leg at a time, no magical powers or superior knowledge.
Jill,
I had not seen that site, thanks. I would like to see all such groups join the ACLU et al. and see if they call lawsuit this guy into following his own rules and regulation and turn him around early on, if that is even possible. A few legal setbacks might ‘show him the light’.
FFLEO,
I don’t know if you have seen this site. If you haven’t, I think you’ll like it.
http://www.openthegovernment.org/
As you can tell, Mr. Obama’s FOIA reversal policies are of great concern for me. I would have been unable to expose some environmental damage and agency corruptness without the FOIA. That has been a struggle of me, sometimes waiting 4.5 months for worthless, heavily redacted material from stonewalling government employees who wanted to hide illegal actions.
The principal reason I voted for Mr. Obama was his pledge to greater governmental transparency and I sent a similar copy of the following directive to every conservation NGO of which I was a member and we were all praising Mr. O’s direction towards open government.
_________________________________
{Quote:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/FreedomofInformationAct/
SUBJECT: Freedom of Information Act
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency. As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” In our democracy, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which encourages accountability through transparency, is the most prominent expression of a profound national commitment to ensuring an open Government. At the heart of that commitment is the idea that accountability is in the interest of the Government and the citizenry alike.
The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails. The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears. Nondisclosure should never be based on an effort to protect the personal interests of Government officials at the expense of those they are supposed to serve. In responding to requests under the FOIA, executive branch agencies (agencies) should act promptly and in a spirit of cooperation, recognizing that such agencies are servants of the public.
All agencies should adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure, in order to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher in a new era of open Government. The presumption of disclosure should be applied to all decisions involving FOIA.
The presumption of disclosure also means that agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public. They should not wait for specific requests from the public. All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their Government. Disclosure should be timely.
I direct the Attorney General to issue new guidelines governing the FOIA to the heads of executive departments and agencies, reaffirming the commitment to accountability and transparency, and to publish such guidelines in the Federal Register. In doing so, the Attorney General should review FOIA reports produced by the agencies under Executive Order 13392 of December 14, 2005. I also direct the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to update guidance to the agencies to increase and improve information dissemination to the public, including through the use of new technologies, and to publish such guidance in the Federal Register.
This memorandum does not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
BARACK OBAMA
End Quote}
_________________________________
I am through for a while with my FOIA quest, but now I have a place where material is archived with relevant FOIA topics. My best guess is that the FOIA reversals from Mr. O are not finished and I dread the next 3+ years if he continues this pace. Finally, if Mr. O does not follow his own directives how can we expect that of agency and department heads?
I remeber another president who used to be very forceful when speaking. This one said; “The United States does not torture.”
Listen to actions.
Double Speak has become common place for self dealing in Washington. But you must remember that they have had to destroy a wet land to build the city to begin with.
Mr. Obama stated:
_________________________________
{Quote:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/21/obama-institutes-rules-ethics-transparency/
“Let me say it as clearly as I can: transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency,” he said, declaring “a new era of openness.”
“We should never forget we are here as public servants,” he said, and not for personal advancement or profit but “simply and absolutely about advancing the interests of Americans.” Mr. Obama said there is “too much secrecy in this city,” and that “era is now over,” and that he believes the Freedom of Information Act must be interpreted to be as open as possible.
“The mere fact you have the legal power to keep something secret does not mean you should,” he said, adding that he will hold himself to “a new standard of openness.” If the people want something disclosed and Mr. Obama wants it secret, he would have to consult with his attorney general Eric Holder and the White House counsel.
He signed the orders at 1:26 p.m., about 25 hours after become the 44th president.
________________
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-On-National-Security-5-21-09/
I ran for President promising transparency, and I meant what I said. That is why, whenever possible, we will make information available to the American people so that they can make informed judgments and hold us accountable. But I have never argued – and never will – that our most sensitive national security matters should be an open book. I will never abandon – and I will vigorously defend – the necessity of classification to defend our troops at war; to protect sources and methods; and to safeguard confidential actions that keep the American people safe. And so, whenever we cannot release certain information to the public for valid national security reasons, I will insist that there is oversight of my actions – by Congress or by the courts.
End Quote}
_________________________________
________________________________
{Quote: http://www.newsweek.com/id/202875
Obama Closes Doors on Openness
As a senator, Barack Obama denounced the Bush administration for holding “secret energy meetings” with oil executives at the White House. But last week public-interest groups were dismayed when his own administration rejected a Freedom of Information Act request for Secret Service logs showing the identities of coal executives who had visited the White House to discuss Obama’s “clean coal” policies. One reason: the disclosure of such records might impinge on privileged “presidential communications…
After Obama’s much-publicized Jan. 21 “transparency” memo, administration lawyers crafted a key directive implementing the new policy that contained a major loophole, according to FOIA experts. The directive, signed by Attorney General Eric Holder, instructed federal agencies to adopt a “presumption” of disclosure for FOIA requests.
This reversal of Bush policy was intended to restore a standard set by President Clinton’s attorney general, Janet Reno. But in a little-noticed passage, the Holder memo also said the new standard applies “if practicable” for cases involving “pending litigation.” Dan Metcalfe, the former longtime chief of FOIA policy at Justice, says the passage and other “lawyerly hedges” means the Holder memo is now “astonishingly weaker” than the Reno policy. (The visitor-log request falls in this category because of a pending Bush-era lawsuit for such records.)
End Quote}
________________________________
“lawyerly hedges”…what an interesting phrase that is.
Earlier today from our hypocritical President Obama, regarding Iran’s crisis:
_________________________________
“As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/13/iran-demonstrations-viole_n_215189.html
_________________________________
Something is awry when the Obama administration relies on former Bush CIA Director Michael Hayden’s opinion. More evidence to me that Mr. Obama is a fraud and a liar.
___________________________
{Quote: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/70383.html
In stark legal turnaround, Obama now resembles Bush
President Barack Obama is morphing into George W. Bush, as administration attorneys repeatedly adopt the executive-authority and national-security rationales that their Republican predecessors preferred.
The Obama administration now says the same, after a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled April 21 that the case could proceed.
“Permitting this suit to proceed would pose an unacceptable risk to national security,” the Obama administration declared in a legal filing June 12.
For both arguments, the two administrations relied on the attestations of the same man: former Bush CIA Director Michael Hayden.
End Quote}
____________________________
From BVM’s post with more of Mr. Viera’s C.V.
http://www.newswithviews.com/Vieira/edwin84.htm
{Quote:
“Edwin Vieira, Jr., holds four degrees from Harvard: A.B. (Harvard College), A.M. and Ph.D. (Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences), and J.D. (Harvard Law School).
For more than thirty years he has practiced law, with emphasis on constitutional issues. In the Supreme Court of the United States he successfully argued or briefed the cases leading to the landmark decisions Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson, and Communications Workers of America v. Beck, which established constitutional and statutory limitations on the uses to which labor unions, in both the private and the public sectors, may apply fees extracted from nonunion workers as a condition of their employment.”
End Quote}